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October 13, 2010

Surgeons offer safety tips for carving pumpkins

The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — Doctors Houshang Seradge and Joel Frazier, hand surgeons with Oklahoma City’s Orthopedic Institute, are offering safety tips for the upcoming pumpkin-carving season.

“Every fall there are serious hand and finger injuries that occur as a result of carving Halloween pumpkins,” Seradge said.

“These injuries are seen in both children and adults,” Frazier said.

To prevent hand injuries Seradge and Frazier recommend the following:

Carve in a safe area. Choose a dry, well lit, clean area to carve in. Wash and dry all tools that you will use to carve your pumpkin, the cutting area and your hands. Moisture can cause slipping that can lead to injuries.

Always provide adult supervision. It only takes a second for an injury to occur, so supervise closely. Do not leave children alone with the carving tools.

An adult should do the carving. Never let children do the carving. Children can draw the design on the pumpkin and clean out the inside pulp, but an adult should do the actual carving. When cutting, adults should cut away from themselves and cut in small, controlled strokes.

Sharper does not mean better. A sharp knife is not necessarily better, because it can become wedged in the thicker part of the pumpkin, then an injury can occur if your hand is in the wrong place when the knife dislodges. Injuries also occur when the knife slips and comes out the opposite side of the pumpkin where your hand may be holding it in place.

Purchase a pumpkin carving kit. You can find special carving kits at local stores, which include small serrated saws that work better, since they are less likely to stick in the pumpkin tissue. They are also not sharp enough to cause a deep cut.

Help for a pumpkin carving injury. If you do cut yourself, bleeding from minor cuts will often stop by  applying direct pressure to the wound with a clean cloth. If the bleeding does not stop after 15 minutes of continuous pressure, you may need to visit an emergency room. Serious injuries should be seen by a hand surgeon to avoid permanent damage.

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